Of Gentlemen and Pirates
by PurebloodPotterhead
Summary: Love. Blood. Deception. Betrayal. Adventure. Pirates. It's the good life for a certain fair-skinned ginger.
1. Ahoy, 'Tis the Amulet

Disclaimer: This literary work of fanfiction is produced and published for the personal, non–commercial enjoyment of myself and other Harry Potter fans. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. or any of their associations. All characters and events in this novel are fictitious, but are based off of those of the _Harry Potter _series written by J.K Rowling and the _Pirates of the Caribbean _film series written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, or undead may not be purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the writer or publisher. For information regarding publication permission, visit the PurebloodPotterhead on Fanfiction(dot)Net.

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><p>The young and youthful girl who went by the appellation of Lily Evans gingerly placed her delicate fingers on the side of the large ship and proceeded to hum a forbidden tune. The spirited, redheaded lady paid no attention to the burly and unruly sailors around her for the horizon was her world and she was only a dust speck of it. Her intoxicatingly angelic voice washed over the sea like that of a wind and if one had not a single idea of who she was, Lily's voice could've been mistaken for that of a Siren's.<p>

"_Yo, ho!_

_ To and fro!_

_ Cast Morsmordre,_

_ In flies Death Eaters!_

_To kiss the Dark Mark!_"

"Young Mistress shouldn't be on here nor should she be singing that cursin', wicked song either," muttered one of the sailors to his colleagues. There was a murmur of agreement on this disposition among the sailors who then increased their effort into their current tasks as Governor Evans, father of Lily Evans, made his appearance at the main deck of the _Natural Law_.

Lily always wondered why her father named such a beautiful ship with the colour of a ripe mahogany the _Natural Law_, but her father always did favour common routine. It was a well–known fact that the intellectual scholar despised chaos and anything else of the sort although he did his best to govern with a fair hand and a cool temper.

The girl sighed and hitched up her ruffled dress as she ascended up the stairs to greet her father. It wasn't as if it was her choice to dispose of her splendid daydream anyway. She would be punished horrendously had she not shown the slightest gesture of respect for her elders.

"Good afternoon, father. How is your expedition coming along?"

The gray–haired man chuckled with pride at the sight of his daughter curtsying before him and gently, but firmly laid his large palm on her left shoulder. He gave his Lily a look of affection as he recalled his late wife with nostalgia who Lily greatly resembled.

"There has been much success with uncovering the artefacts, my child. Yes, much success. However, let us not speak of the expedition. It is not fitting for a lady like you. Have you selected any one of your suitors as your future husband yet?"

Lily bit down harshly on the fleshy insides of her cheeks discreetly to restrain a loud groan of despair from escaping her lips. As she prepared to deliver her well–rehearsed speech involving "a waiting for love", a cadet in royal blue uniform stumbled with a mad sort of panic before her father and toppled to a messy heap of tousled fabric on the floor.

"Sire! Sire! Pirate ship! The Dark Mark! Aye! I've seen it with my own –"

Governor Evans did not need to hear much more for he then swiftly brushed past the cadet to take a look at a fiery, blazing pirate ship looming on the horizon. His lips were set in a perfectly straight line and his greying eyebrows furrowed together with worry and anguish. Lily stared with awe and amazement as the _Natural Law_ came closer and closer upon the evidently obvious, sunken pirate ship that burned with an evil, red fire.

"Godric, father! You'd think pirates, especially these Death Eaters, would leave a bloodier mess behind –"

Governor Evans glared disapprovingly at his daughter for her unfitting, vibrant attitude, but the girl pretended to ignore this as she sharply turned her back on her father. Lily had always harboured a not–so–secretive fascination with forbidden subjects that were meant to be closed off to the women in her society. Piracy held the most favour with her, however.

Lily's eyes widened as her gaze settled on a lumpy silhouette drifting towards the _Natural Law_. She wasn't quite sure what it was for there was a thick fog mysteriously shrouding it. Lily was not the only one to notice the oncoming shadow, however.

"Sire! Look there! Look!"

The young, blonde, freckled cadet had returned once more with his annoying, nasal voice. Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation, but then lost her vexation with the cadet as she soon realised that the silhouette was not a crate nor any inanimate object, but a young boy with slick, ebony hair that reached to the bottom of his neck.

Governor Evans took no hesitation in saving the boy.

"Men, have a heart and save this boy with the will of Godric! Hurry! There is no time to spare!"

Lily stared longingly at the sailors who rushed and dived into the water headfirst to rescue the pale boy. Oh, how she prayed and hoped and wished that she could abandon her frilly skirts and petticoats and knickers and splash in the water as well. Merlin, it wouldn't even matter if that could happen in the midst of a battle between pirates and the British authority!

As the rescued boy was dragged up the ship and laid out on a nearby table, Governor Evans turned to face Lily, place both of his hands on her slouching shoulders, and said with a serious tone, "Lily. Try and see if you can become well acquainted with this lad here. Get his name and his reason for being present near a pirate ship."

Lily nodded with surprise at the severity of the situation with wide eyes. Her father then twisted around brusquely and with a heavy swish of his cloak, he was gone. Lily slowly turned about to face the boy. He was breathing normally and although his complexion was still quite pale, he didn't look as if he could catch pneumonia and die any second then.

The girl cocked her head to the left side of her body with curiosity at the sight of a silver amulet hung around his neck. With her long, thin fingers, Lily tentatively took it off and nearly dropped the amulet in shock. An emblem of a snake entering through a skull and out again. The Dark Mark. The boy was a pirate.

As Lily prepared herself to run to her father and give him a report on her findings, a bony, thin hand shot out and clasped itself tightly around his wrist. There was no escape. The boy desperately gasped for air and said with a short breath, "Who're you? Where am I?"

Lily's resolve to turn the boy into the hands of her father dissolved quickly at the sight at his expression. He looked helpless and lost, not the face a pirate would make. There had to be a reasonable explanation behind this.

"Lady Lily Evans of Winterport, daughter of the Governor Evans is I. You're on the _Natural Law_. You're safe."

The boy nodded with relief and assurance and as he weakly slipped back into unconsciousness, Lily heard him breathe out a dim "Severus Snape. Just … Severus Snape." A smile full of affection slowly sneaked onto Lily's porcelain face for the boy, but soon disappeared as she heard her father approach and inquired, "What have you learnt?"

Lily quickly hid the silver amulet with the Dark Mark emblem on it behind her back and curtly replied, "His name is Severus Snape. His father was a soldier. They were only caught at the wrong place at the wrong time."

For 8 years, the 9–year–old heiress hid the aberrant, sterling amulet in the bottom drawer of her wardrobe where she also hid her unsightly knickers – the ones she had received as Christmas gifts from rich aunts with no sense of fashion – and sealed the boy's true and secret identity in the Gellert Grindelwald's Locker of her heart.

Until now.

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><p>All rights reserved. <em>Of Gentlemen and Pirates<em> publishing rights © 2011 by C.L. Nguyen.


	2. The Engagement

Disclaimer: This literary work of fanfiction is produced and published for the personal, non–commercial enjoyment of myself and other Harry Potter fans. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. or any of their associations. All characters and events in this novel are fictitious, but are based off of those of the _Harry Potter _series written by J.K Rowling and the _Pirates of the Caribbean _film series written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, or undead may not be purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the writer or publisher. For information regarding publication permission, visit the PurebloodPotterhead on Fanfiction(dot)Net.

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><p>"Mistress, mistress! You must wake up! Today is the investiture of the Minister for Magic's son! Mistress, please! For the sake of the founders of Hogwarts, would you –"<p>

The chambermaid who was nervously rapping on the door out of desperation immediately ceased her action as the brown, oak doors opened swiftly with a loud bang where afterwards, came the entrance of a very cranky Lily Evans.

"Oh, for Godric's sake! Can't a girl get a wink of her needed, precious beauty sleep around here anymore? Who cares if he's getting some stupid piece of gold on his head? Today's _my_ name day!"

The chambermaid wringed her hands worriedly as Lily continued her morning rant while fishing around in her creamy, vast wardrobe for an appropriate dress. With a decisive mind and a hot temper to match her hair, the redheaded girl threw out large and small dresses, colourful and dull dresses, simple and frilly dresses. As her chambermaid was ready to commit suicide any minute then out of frustration by throwing herself out of a nearby ornate window, Governor Evans stepped into the bedroom and cleared his throat loudly.

Immediately, Lily ceased to swear like a sailor and quickly placed on a facade of a cool demeanour and smoothed out her dress and hair.

"Good morning, father. What a quaint surprise to be greeted with your presence so early in the day. Is there something you wish of me to do?"

Governor Evans' lips were trembling with laughter at his daughter's childish antics and cleared his throat again to rid of any tears of mirth. "I have a gift for you. Some witch robes to be exact. I know how much you love them."

The girl's eyes widened with a mixture of overwhelming appreciation and affection for her father as they feasted hungrily upon the sight of the intricate fabric thrusted into her hands.

In Lily's world, witches, wizards, many mythical creatures, and Muggles (non–magical folk) of all sorts of blood purity, social statuses, and ethnicities dwelled together in harmony. It was quite a utopian place to live in ever since the violent, bloody break of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. However, it is a truth universally acknowledged that in every society, no matter how much of a utopia it may seem to be, there is always a source of discord and cacophony. In this case, the source is piracy.

Yes, piracy. The worst part of the side of this well–to–do civilisation was that there wasn't just one, single type of pirate. No, there were the old–fashioned Muggle ones who flew their Jolly Roger with pride. There were the buccaneers and privateers. There were also absolutely normal, wizarding pirates. And then, there were the Death Eaters, the worst of them all. To see their trademark, the Dark Mark, in an open sky was enough to penetrate a lethal blade of fear into the hearts of even the bravest of Gryffindors.

However, it wasn't as if the normal citizens of England were constantly throwing cautious, suspicious looks behind their backs as they went about their daily lives. Winterport, Lily's hometown, was actually a very safe place to live in.

Lily held the witch robes closely to her figure and spun around excitedly in front of her vanity mirror with admiration at the design of the robes. Her spoken marvels of delight and cooing at the robes brought a sudden, painful epiphany to Governor Evans. His Lily was no longer a child. Soon, she would move out with her husband, however he may be, and have a family of her own. It was already tragic enough that his elder daughter, the blonde Petunia Evans, had a falling out with Lily and abruptly eloped with her whale of a fiancé (now husband) right before her turning of legal age.

It all started on Lily's 11th birth date. Petunia, who was then just a young adolescent, was expertly braiding her little sister's fiery hair while giggling with Lily over the silliest of things when all of a sudden, a sandy barn owl swooped into the girls' shared bedroom from an open window. The girls screamed with fright and Petunia tried to bravely defend and shield her sister from the owl's talons until the sight of a thick envelope encased in the owl's teeth made her stop.

To make the situation even more abnormal and Wonderland–esque, an aristocratic, but strange–looking woman had made an appearance in the parlour downstairs and seemed to be discussing some important business with the girls' parents. The woman, who had introduced herself as Professor Minerva McGonagall, was sporting an elongated, emerald cloak with what seemed to be witch robes along with a witch's hat that was adorned with a peacock feather. The perplexity of the situation soon passed as the source of the abnormality came to light upon the Evans family: Lily was a witch. A Muggle–born one. Jealous with a green, green envy at her parents' evident favour of Lily over her, Petunia began to openly despise her sister and made it clear that their bond of sisterhood was no more.

Although she once grieved heavily for her lost, Lily was not one to mope and mourn and stay rooted in her sadness. No, she strived to be the best in the prestigious wizarding academy, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and then opted to continue her wizarding education at the influential, French wizarding academy, Beauxbatons. And here is our heroine today, ready to celebrate her coming–of–age on her 17th birth date. Practically the epitome of the highest perfection a woman can achieve, every girl wanted to be Lily and ever boy just plainly wanted her.

Governor Evans smiled fondly at his daughter, but a dreaded feeling of anguish in his heart was threatening to make a grand appearance.

"Daughter, I'm not just here today to give you the robes. There's … a serious matter we need to discuss. I meant to talk about it with you for some time now."

Lily's almond–shaped eyes filled with confusion, but nonetheless, kept silent and allowed her father to continue. The governor swallowed thickly and forced himself to carry on.

"I've arranged for an engagement between you and Sir Bartemius Crouch, Jr. of Pirum. Very handsome lad, he's quite skilled at his wizardry and–"

The vast, creamy wardrobe, the vanity mirror, the robes suddenly blended together into a distorted sort of mad palette. Lily's eyes blinked once, twice, and slowly said, "What did you say?" Her father was starting to sweat bullets of nervousness. To anger Lily was the equivalent of stripping naked down in front of a dragon and offering yourself as food. He'd rather be anywhere, even participating in a post–apocalyptic event, than be here to face Lily's wrath.

"Father, I hope this is a joke, yet I doubt so ... he's 2 years my junior, isn't he?" Lily inquired in an eerie, soft voice with a calming tone. Governor Evans sighed with relief, but soon realised he was mistaken to do so when the anticipated angry outburst erupted from Lily next.

"How could you? How _could _you? You know! You know I hate arranged marriages! Not every arranged marriage is happy like yours, Father! I won't! I won't agree with this nor shall I go through with this! I can't believe you would just go and –"

Lily's rant slowly died when the rough, callused pads of her father's fingers laid themselves gently upon her lips. Both Lily and Governor Evans had on expressions that were equally conveyed of sadness. A moment of silence and deep thought passed between both daughter and father. The governor was the first to break it.

"Tonight. At the investiture. You must accept his proposal. Bartemius Crouch, Jr. is a good man for you. I only want … only the best for you, darling. Your recklessness will get you nowhere in life."

Lily still kept her silence, but the tension in the atmosphere was so thick, not even a powerful Severing Charm could penetrate it.

"I believe it's time for my dressing now, Father. Please kindly make your exit," said Lily coldly. Her father made no effort to mask his heartbroken expression, but Lily's lost freedom had hardened her heart and ridded her once ardent compassion immensely.

The girl's fingers curled and clenched at a corner of her dress and underneath that particular bunching of fabric hid a sterling, sinister amulet with an emblem of a snake entering through a skull and out again.

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><p>All rights reserved. <em>Of Gentlemen and Pirates<em> publishing rights © 2011 by C.L. Nguyen.


	3. Mischief not Managed

Disclaimer: This literary work of fanfiction is produced and published for the personal, non–commercial enjoyment of myself and other Harry Potter fans. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. or any of their associations. All characters and events in this novel are fictitious, but are based off of those of the _Harry Potter _series written by J.K Rowling and the _Pirates of the Caribbean _film series written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, or undead may not be purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the writer or publisher. For information regarding publication permission, visit the PurebloodPotterhead on Fanfiction(dot)Net.

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><p>"Here we go, men! With the sweat of our brow and the aching of our backs, we shall prosper!"<p>

"Prongs, there is no way we're going to prosper at anything with an old, ratty sailboat and our abandoned fortune."

Prongs and Padfoot, whose respective names were Sir James Potter of Godric's Hollow and Sir Sirius Orion Black of Virginis, took no dithering in a heated debate on whether they shall prosper with an old, ratty sailboat or not while their other companions, Sir Remus John Lupin of Romaeilles and Sir Peter Pettigrew of Shrewsville were lazily lying in the sun playing a rather lethargic game of Exploding Snap.

James, a rather rogue–looking kind of a young adult with fragile, round–rimmed glasses and jet–black hair that resembled a ransacked bird's nest, chuckled good–naturedly at his best friend's (and sworn blood brother as well) pessimism and continued to loudly boast of his assurance.

"Padfoot, mate! Look 'ere! No, I said look at me not the sky. I'm prettier than the sky and – Oi! Are you ignoring me?"

Remus, a boy with neat, sandy hair who was the voice of reason, order, and logic, of the Marauders, sighed impatiently at his friends' immaturity and casually stretched out his hand to Peter.

"Wormy, bet you 5 Galleons we're going to die 'cause of the stupidity of these 2 knuckleheads here and not 'cause of boredom."

Wormtail or Peter Pettigrew, a corpulent, stout boy with hair the colour of stained wheat, scrunched up his mouse–like nose with misunderstanding. Peter was what one could call "a Galleon short of a Weasley bank vault". Offensive to both sides of the analogy, but true. The boy just couldn't keep a simple grasp on common sense and logic though he was rather quite the expert on the subject of espionage.

"Moony, I thought we were going to die having to drink our own piss."

Remus gave himself a facepalm and desired to give himself a headdesk as well. Anything, even a headdesk, would make life more bearable for him than having to deal with a hoard of children stuck in some teenage embodiments. With an exaggerated sigh of irritation, Remus looked dead into Peter's eyes and said, "I told you to never take Sirius' words literally. He's incapable of being serious."

At this remark, the devil spoken of sprang up behind Remus and Peter suddenly and sarcastically replied, "I _am _Sirius even when I'm not, you git." The rest of the Marauders groaned at the reiteration of the once amusing pun.

The Marauders were a group of wizarding pirates notorious for causing mischief wherever they go. They were known for and easily recognised by their prized ship, the S.S._ Wicked_ and their tradition of declaring each day to be Mischief Night. However, the pirates were now suffering an episode of humiliation after having been violently thrown through countless storms, cannibals, and sea monsters. A thief by the name of Argus Filch, a man who worked as a privateer for the British monarchy, had stolen the Marauders' beloved _Wicked _as well as their enchanted map, the Marauders Map. Therefore, this is why the boys were stranded in an old, ratty sailboat with only the clothes on their backs, their hidden wands, and their resilient bond of brotherhood. A robust wind was the only force that was driving the boat in an unknown direction. An incident involving some dolphins and seaweed and Sirius' lack of maturity had caused the Marauders to lose the fun–sized oars of the boat as well.

Sirius wedged his way between Remus and Peter with his shoulders drooping in a dejected manner and buried his head and dark, long, charismatic tresses of hair into his hands.

"We've been at this for 10 days already. Just face it, boys. We're never going to get the map and ship back," wailed Sirius. James, who had stood to the side and who was enjoying the coolness of the wind on his face, smirked at Sirius and pulled an imaginary sword out of his belt loop.

"Fear not for we are not the brave and valiant Marauders? We – as Gryffindors should – will conquer the monstrous Filch and take back our rightful possessions!"

Peter shook his head worriedly and mumbled, "Gotta love your enthusiasm so early in the morning." James only gave the short boy an affronted scowl in return.

While Sirius, James, and Peter were busying themselves with bets on their supposed deaths, Remus' sharp, hawk–like eyes had travelled to the horizon of the sea ahead of the sailboat and he squinted in profundity. He then scrutinised his surroundings and his findings shocked him enough to nearly topple the boat.

With a quick flip of his wand, Remus conjured up a pair of cheap Ominioculars and zoomed in on his discovery. There, quite far away from the old, ratty sailboat that Sirius had acquired through what he liked to called "borrowing and never returning it," was land. Not an island. Not a lighthouse. Not a large rock. Actual, tangible land. Eureka.

Sirius, however, did not take notice of Remus' gasp of surprise, but instead shoved the fair–skinned boy aside to take a look at the conjured Ominioculars.

"How in the name of Godric Gryffindor did you managed to conjure this? That's hard magic! Albeit, it's not as hard as our type of magic, but _still_! You managed to –"

Remus pointed his wand at Sirius and mumbled a faint, "_Silencio_." Consequently, Sirus lost his voice completely. Feeling so woeful at the lost of what he believed to be the voice of a male harpy, he tried to strangle Remus with failure on his part. Remus had the reckless boy bound with a simple _Incarcerous _and continued to spy through the lens of the Omnioculars at his finding. Both James and Peter had on equivalent, perplexed expressions. The duo looked at each other knowingly, looked at Sirius who was struggling against the ropes binding his body, then looked at Remus who presently seemed like a mad Arithmancer on the verge of discovering an innovative mathematical formula or equation to life. Neither boy desired to interrupt Remus, however.

James chastised himself mentally for feeling cowardly about confronting his good friend, gathered his courage, and piped up first.

"'Er, Moony? Mate? I know the stress of the current situation is becoming quite unbearable on us all, but if you could just pull your strings together, we could work something out and –"

Remus shushed James violently, continued to look through the Omnioculars, Vanished them non–verbally after he was satisfied with himself, and turned to face James in a thespian, sophisticated manner.

"Prongs, I could hardly give a damn about my strings nor whether they unravel or not for gentlemen and pirates, we have found land."

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><p>All rights reserved. <em>Of Gentlemen and Pirates<em> publishing rights © 2011 by C.L. Nguyen.


	4. An Unusual Friendship

Disclaimer: This literary work of fanfiction is produced and published for the personal, non–commercial enjoyment of myself and other Harry Potter fans. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. or any of their associations. All characters and events in this novel are fictitious, but are based off of those of the _Harry Potter _series written by J.K Rowling and the _Pirates of the Caribbean _film series written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, or undead may not be purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the writer or publisher. For information regarding publication permission, visit the PurebloodPotterhead on Fanfiction(dot)Net.

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><p>"Are you sure you'll be all right with Severus?"<p>

Governor Evans shooed the oncoming, flustered footman away in order to hoist his daughter down from the jewel–crusted carriage they had been travelling on a while ago himself. Lily frostily declined her father's outstretched hand and helped herself down. Governor Evans winced, but nonetheless, made no comment on his daughter's frosty character and allowed her to aid herself.

In a monotone voice, Lily replied, "Father, Severus has been my best friend for 8 years now. Albeit, that incident in 5th year was unacceptable, but I am willing to accept his apology and forgive him. At least he could amend a broken promise unlike _some _people."

The enunciation of Lily's words greatly increased her father's remorse at what he had done, but there was no turning back now. Trouble, huge trouble, will arise if Lily does not accept Crouch's proposal by midnight, the conclusion of the investiture for the Minister for Magic's son.

The governor tried to make peaceful conversation with Lily again.

"Lily, you're a very prominent figure around here. Spinner's End isn't the safest place in town and Severus isn't quite capable of self–defence even if he is a wiz–"

Lily whipped around harshly to face her father and gave him the coldest glare she could muster.

"What? You think I'm too reckless to take care of myself?"

The governor looked away in shame and regret, proceeded to bid his daughter farewell, and removed his presence from Lily rapidly without turning back.

The girl huffed angrily.

"_I'm so tempted to stomp my feet in anger right here, right now in the middle of the boulevard, but that would be childish_," thought Lily.

The small, wooden doors of the shabby house behind her creaked open and out walked a tall, lanky lad with sallow, pale skin and lengthy hair the colour of roughly crushed blackberries. The boy's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Lily standing before him and in an astounded voice, he said, "Lily."

The possessor of that particular identity turned around daintily to face her audience and exclaimed loudly.

"Oh, Sev! How glad am I to see you!" She picked up her skirts and ran to Severus with a bright smile on her face could rival that of the Sun's and threw her whole self into Severus for a hug.

The boy's heart increased in pulse within his ribcage at the sweet, alluring scent of Lily's hair (which smelt like vanilla). He so desperately wanted to hold the sides of her face and tilt his head and bring his lips down on her own, but that would only happen in his dreams for Lily evidently did not wish to do so nor did she return his romantic feelings for her.

"Good Godric, Sev! I'm so glad you're home. I just had the most horrible morning ever! You see, I was dressing and my father arrived to deliver this 'effed–up message on –"

Severus did not pay much attention to Lily's next words for the instant she briefly informed him of her morning routine of dressing and undressing; a provocative image had entered his mind of Lily in her purest, barest form. A consequent, anatomical stimulation caused a specific appendage in his lower region to stiffen. Although his best friend continued to ramble and rant, Severus felt embarrassed and steered both of them to a nearby tree which produced excellent shade that acted as a shield from the Sun to sit down in the grass. That way, he could hide his hormonal reaction and Lily would not notice.

"And that's how my day went. I'm not sure what I can do about the engagement, but I do know that I'm not going to comply," Lily ended her speech.

Severus chuckled.

"Lily," he said. "Let us not dawdle on repulsive subjects. Tell me, how was your Beauxbatons convocation?"

At this inquiry, Lily began to smile happily without a care in the world and proceeded to tell Severus every single detail of the commencement ceremony she could remember.

Severus sighed quietly, but contentedly. True, he may not be able to court Lily, but being her best friend of 8 years was more than good enough for him.

He had met her out at sea (and not on the shores) when they were both 9. His father, Tobias Snape, had worked with pirates unknowingly for about a year and the drunkard and poor excuse of a father had dragged both his wife and son with him.

All along, Tobias believed that the sailors he were sailing with might've had some connections to piracy, but were not actual pirates themselves for they were smuggling artefacts to and from the country that bordered along the lines of legal and illegal.

However, Severus and his mother, the once famed Lady Eileen Prince of Regia, knew better. The pirates' long, dark cloaks which were not the standard garments of Muggle pirates, the skeleton masks hidden in their cupboards, their wands poking out of the pockets of their cloaks, and the dark, morbid tattoos on their forearms were sufficient enough clues to reveal their identities.

Tobias seldom wondered why his colleagues did not have a flag, but Severus and Eileen knew why. They knew everything. The damned bastard who Severus and Eileen were ashamed of to call family had snagged a Death Eater ship. He was signing himself a one–way ticket to Hell.

Eileen knew that the only reason they had not been killed yet was because of her bloodline and heritage. The Death Eaters favoured pureblooded wizards and witches and ancient, aristocratic wizarding blood ran through her veins. Tobias may have been of Muggle blood, but Eileen was a pureblood, and the Death Eaters were quite neutral with half–blooded wizards such as the likes of Severus.

However, the Death Eaters on this particular ship had angered the infamous Pirate Lord Voldemort for reasons unknown to the Snapes. In his utmost rage and fury, the dangerously powerful wizard need only wave his wand once and the small, Death Eater ship were encased in a flaming inferno that rivalled that of Hell's own fires.

Tobias, whose years of ingesting alcohol had corrupted his mind, logic, and reflexes, had failed to fully grasp and comprehend the situation. A fallen beam of wood hindered his ability to move and Tobias died a pitiful, meaningless death full of pain.

Eileen sacrificed herself in order to save her son as the ship was going down. Before her dying moment, she had given her son her wand and a Dark Mark amulet and her last dying words to him were "Avenge me. Seek the Death Eaters. Aid their mission. Avenge me."

As feeble as Severus was, he vowed to avenge his mother with every last drop of blood he possessed. After seeing the raw power Lord Voldemort had acquired over the years, Severus wished to join in his ranks and strive to be like the Dark Lord himself. The promise of a future suited for him intoxicated Severus significantly.

However, he did have his doubts when it was Lily who had prevented the British soldiers who saved him from knowing he was a pirate. Though he was not officially inducted into the Death Eater ranks, Severus was certain where his allegiance truly lay. Or did he?

The girl, an incarnation of perfection, was a Muggle–born. A filthy Mudblood. She was supposed to be the scum beneath his shoes and less worthy than the gravel he walked upon. Then pray tell, why did his heart reach out so much to her? Why was he even unhappier than she was in her darkest times?

Severus loved her so much that although he knew Lily had taken his amulet without permission and lied about this, he pretended to believe her on a whim and never questioned this. Ever.

The duo grew closer and closer and formed a strong, but unusual friendship. Both had similar ideas and beliefs concerning life, philosophy, and education and their interests only brought them even closer.

Severus schooled Lily beforehand on wizardry and witchcraft after witnessing her usage of accidental, underage magic and Lily taught Severus everything she knew about the aristocratic world. Both had attended Charm School together as young children and had received their Hogwarts acceptance letters simultaneously. During their 6th and 7th year summers, the friends continued their education elsewhere. Severus went to Durmstrang on an acquired Potions scholarship and Lily did that same with Beauxbatons.

Their friendship didn't always sail smoothly though. There were violent storms and wicked Sirens speaking of false promises and lies along the voyage.

It didn't help much that Lily was Sorted into Gryffindor and Severus into the House of Slytherin. Both were Hogwarts Houses with a rivalry that could last for generations to come. And it didn't help at all how the general male population were all deeply in love with Lily especially this particular Gryffindor who sported such dorky glasses and messy, messy hair. Severus couldn't recall his name and did not ever wish to do so.

After graduation though, the troublesome, arrogant pest was not to be seen again. No one knew of his whereabouts which was quite strange for the boy was quite famous (or infamous, to be more exact). Good riddance.

With the advantage of being Lily's best friend due to her influential social status, Severus had managed to become a Potions Master, a desired occupation he held ever since he was a child. Lily was currently unemployed, but it wasn't like her father was going to let her work anyway.

Severus sighed again and provided Lily with the utmost rapt attention. She was too good for him. He was out of her league. Yet, life was still perfect as he and his best friend sat under the cool shade of a giant sycamore tree only briefly sheltered from the horrors of adulthood.

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><p>All rights reserved. <em>Of Gentlemen and Pirates<em> publishing rights © 2011 by C.L. Nguyen.


	5. The Marauders Arrive

Disclaimer: This literary work of fanfiction is produced and published for the personal, non–commercial enjoyment of myself and other Harry Potter fans. It is in no way sponsored, approved, endorsed by, or affiliated with J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. or any of their associations. All characters and events in this novel are fictitious, but are based off of those of the _Harry Potter _series written by J.K Rowling and the _Pirates of the Caribbean _film series written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. Any similarity to actual events or persons living, dead, or undead may not be purely coincidental.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the writer or publisher. For information regarding publication permission, visit the PurebloodPotterhead on Fanfiction(dot)Net.

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><p>"Moony, I love you and all, mate, but I'd rather die out at sea than in this horrid town," claimed Peter.<p>

Even when silent, the Marauders created quite a scene when they arrived at harbour of Winterport in a sailboat that looked more like a canoe than a sailboat. 3 tall, handsome lads, a fanboy, and a poor excuse of a ship arriving in Winterport were not an everyday occurrence.

James scanned his surroundings gleefully like children would in a candy store while Sirius occupied himself with winking and flaunting his insolent, good looks around and blowing air kisses at the lovely, young birds[1] who crowded around the harbour to take a good look at him. They swooned and swayed as expected.

Remus, who looked like a madman on the verge of a breakdown, turned his head slowly to face Peter and replied, "How are they going to know we're pirates? We look decent enough."

Peter looked scandalised.

"In case you haven't noticed, this is a posh town and we're wearing pirate clothes!"

James, who had overheard the conversation, joined in.

"Look 'ere, Worms. We're going to find a pub and change in the loo. C'mon, we're wizards! It can't be that hard to conjure up some decent clothes." Sirius pouted when the old, ratty sailboat (nicknamed the _Grudge_, courtesy of Black himself) passed by the girls who were waving flirtatiously at him a while ago and too joined his friends' discussion.

"Hey!" he said. "Isn't Winterport the hometown of that girl you were obsessed with for most of our Hogwarts years? I think her name was Luna Evon or something."

James interest sparked like a wildfire and his ears perked up at Sirius' casual notation.

"Lily? Lily Evans? She's here?"

6 years ago, James had met Lily Evans of Winterport at Hogwarts, the school in which they were enrolled in together. Her crimson hair and emerald eyes were a tug on his heart and every time she sashayed past him, James felt as if he had digested a hoard of fluttering butterflies. He was quite enraptured with her and perhaps would've won her too had she paid any attention to him at all.

To Lily though, James was only a number, an insignificant part of the statistic of the male population who was heavily attracted to her. She did not know his name and did not care to. This only made James strive harder to make her notice him.

However, 6th year rolled by and his father, Sir Daniel Potter of Godric's Hollow, fell ill as well as his mother, Lady Olivia Potter, and passed away because of a peaceful death in their sleep with no regrets or heavy burdens. James was sorry to see them go, but they were elderly and had reached the very end of their lives. He left Hogwarts before officially graduating from the school and had asked his friends to do the same.

Most pureblood wizarding families were rich and the Potters were no exception. James didn't meant to boast, but he knew that with the amount of money he had inherited from his parents, he did not need a stable form of employment. The Marauders had intended to become Aurors and fight against the Death Eaters for they all had personal enmities with the Dark wizards.

However, after taking in a good observation of the general lifestyle of Aurors, the Marauders decided on a new tactic. Instead of mentally destroying their brain cells with long office hours, loads of paperwork, and unnecessary, special occasions such as ballroom waltzes, the foursome chose to become pirates as well. Sort of like undercover Aurors, but without the Ministry knowing of their true motives.

Remus called this "fighting fire with fire and poison with poison." The others didn't agree with the scholarly phrase and instead, referred to this method as "fucking them up in their own territory."

Obviously, this did not go as planned.

James did not worry so much about this though for he was daydreaming of the prospects of meeting Lily Evans again.

Sirius snorted in disgust.

"This is why the ladies like me. 'Cause I don't like them. You call yourself a man? You're more like a girl! You better hope that Evon is a lesbian because you –"

Sirius' words died away quickly and he swiftly slapped James upon the head to snap the bespectacled boy out of his daydream. The slap turned out to be efficient, but too hard.

James hollered in pain.

"What the bloody fuck, Pads? What was _that _for?"

Remus shushed James and pointed his index finger at a pair of British guards approaching the _Grudge_. Peter whimpered softly behind the folds of Remus' shirt and clutched at it tightly. Remus in turn wrapped his right arm around Peter's broad shoulders protectively.

The guards made their presence before the boys known and one of them said in a gruff voice, "Hoist yourselves up and state your business in Winterport."

For the moment of a heartbeat, the Marauders thought that the guards had recognised they were pirates, but then all gave synchronised, big breaths of relief as they realised that the guards were only doing their jobs. They expertly tied the pitiful boat to a stone rock with only a few knots though Sirius was sorely tempted to drown the abominable thing and acquire a better one.

Silent agreement passed between the Marauders and James spoke first.

James bowed dramatically as if one would before acquiring the hand of a lady for a dance and said, "Sir, um ... Daniel – er – Potter! Sir Daniel Potter of Godric's Hollow at your service, my good sir! We're here to visit our good friend and old schoolmate, Lily Evans. Have you any knowledge on the whereabouts of her residence?" Behind James, Sirius facepalmed himself out of aggravation at his best friend and from around his neck, produced a golden amulet that sported the crest of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black along with the family motto "_tojours pur_," which roughly translated to "always pure" in French.

The playboy even added another risk by rudely saying, "First Mate of James Potter, here. 'Sup, bitches."

The guards' faces were impassive, but their eyes widened in recognition and fear at the symbol on the amulet. They dared not hit the boy for his impudent behaviour.

The taller of the guards bravely spoke up first.

"Anderson of Winterport is my name and this 'ere is Fisher of Winterport. 'Er, terribly sorry, sirs, but the Lady Lily Evans is not allowed to accept visitors right now."

The other guard, Fisher, nodded in confirmation and added, "You could visit her later. She's going to get engaged tonight and Governor Evans ain't allowing nobody to contact her."

At this piece of information, James' thorax tightened and his fists clenched forcefully and hopeless rage filled his entire being. He had waited for her, waited for so long, and this was just as bad as getting slapped in the face by a peasant. Humiliating. The guards were surely mocking him. Sirius immediately recognised James preparing to draw his fist back and give Anderson or Fisher a good slug in the nose and quickly grabbed his friend's shoulder and threw him over the wooden bridge they were standing upon. James fell headfirst into the water startled.

Sirius flipped his hair like a drama queen, batted his eyelashes at Anderson (who consequently recoiled in disgust and horror) and said in a silky, sultry voice, "Have you ever heard of the Marauders?"

Anderson, who momentarily forgot Sirius' attempt to seduce him because of the strange inquiry, raised his left eyebrow and cautiously asked, "Yes ... what of them?" Fisher pushed Anderson aside to provide a more vivid answer.

"Aye, I've heard of them! Who hasn't? The worst troublemakers I've ever seen! The lot of 'em, me and Anderson get loads of work 'cause of 'em!" Fisher spat at the ground angrily.

James was still thrashing around in the water, but smirked at his friends slyly at Fisher's reply. The stubby, fat guard continued to talk.

"They ain' so mighty now though! Just a few weeks ago, man by the name of Argus Filch stole their ship, the S.S. _Wicked_, and it's sitting somewhere 'ere 'round these shores righ' now."

The Marauders visibly became quite rigid, looked at each other, and leaned in to hear more. Fisher, evidently gleeful at his captive audience, continued to tell his account of the story.

"People say the ship is cursed with Loki, the god of mischief. Obvious, of course. I thought it would've been bigger given its reputation, but looks can be deceiving. Seems to me that –"

"Well, thank you for your time, gentlemen, but we've got a tight ship to run and a terribly busy schedule we need to get cracking on!" said Remus as he pushed aside Sirius and hoisted James out of the water. The guards looked puzzled at the strange, non–Winterport auras the boys were giving off, but shrugged nonetheless and allowed the Marauders to pass.

As the mischief makers made their way across the cobblestones and into the main heart of Winterport, Sirius glanced at his friends warily and said, "You _do _know that I'm still as straight as can be, right?"

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><p>[1]In the United Kingdom, "bird" is British slang for "a young woman" and is the equivalent of the American term "chick".<p>

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><p>All rights reserved. <em>Of Gentlemen and Pirates<em> publishing rights © 2011 by C.L. Nguyen.


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